


Outside a fairytale

by Nelja-in-English (Nelja)



Category: Bleach
Genre: Bittersweet, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Romance, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-19
Updated: 2013-02-19
Packaged: 2017-11-29 20:23:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/691061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nelja/pseuds/Nelja-in-English
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not everyone lives in a fairytale...</p>
<p>A few missing scenes about Tatsuki and Orihime's relationship, tomes 4 to 6.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Outside a fairytale

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [En dehors d'un conte de fées](https://archiveofourown.org/works/634464) by [Nelja](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nelja/pseuds/Nelja). 



> English is not my first language. I apologize for any mistake, and I would be happy if you'd point them to me.
> 
> It all belongs to Tite Kubo.

Once upon a time there was a world without monsters.

Tatsuki and Orihime lived in that world until they were fifteen.

Of course, these worlds were not exactly alike. In Orihime's, there were princes and princesses, fairies, dragons and true love. In Tatsuki's, there was only a wonderful princess in a scenery which was absolutely plain otherwise.

But in neither of these worlds were there any monsters.

* * *

The first time they really talked about it was shortly after Don Kanonji's show. Il was a delicious evening of red bean paste, pillow fights, and nice stories told under a tent made from chairs and bed sheets, with lots of laughing and big dreamy eyes.

Like when they were in middle school. As though they had never aged.

A sheet fell over Orihime's head; the young girl burst out laughing and started walking around the room making ominous gestures, the cloth still over her head. "I am a very, extremely frightening ghooooost, fear me!"

Then she stopped and stood still, took away the sheet, and silently stared at Tatsuki. In her friend's serious and determined eyes, she found the strength to explain.

"Tatsuki, Have you ever got the feeling that ghosts... they don't look like sheets at all, but like normal people floating in the air?"

Tatsuki's eyes brightened. "It was not only a dream, was it?"

Orihime knelt before Tatsuki who was still lying down under the tent. She took her friend's hands in hers, and said softly "Thank you."

She thanked her for being able to talk about it with her, for setting her free from her secret, and maybe even for confirming that she was not crazy, she was not hallucinating. Some girls mockingly told her so, before she knew Tatsuki, when people used to torment her.

There was a light in Orihime's eyes, the same sweet and fiery gratefulness that convinced Tatsuki that life around Orihime was a fairy tale, in which anyone was always rewarded for good deeds. The same light that made her want to stay close to her, to love her and protect her now and forever.

"I'm so happy you can see them too! It is funny that ghosts exist, isn't it? Maybe aliens exist, too! And elves, and never-ending cookies!"

They looked at each other again, each one trying to understand what the other knew. This time, Tatsuki was the bravest; and she broke the silence:

"That night, when a sumo wrestler destroyed the wall... it was not really a wrestler, was it?"

Orihime nodded quietly, lost in her thoughts again. Tatsuki put a gentle hand on her shoulder, hoping Orihime would trust her enough to talk about her sad daydreams, the same way she had shared the bright part of her fantasy world.

"I thought I had forgotten," Tatsuki said again. "But when I began to see ghosts, some pictures came back... first the transfer student, like in my dream, then some kind of hazy monster, and..." She hesitated, but carried on reluctantly "You called him brother? Is this the reason we went to visit his grave the day after?"

"I... Maybe I never forgot." Orihime said in a faltering voice. "I think I've had both the real memory and the fake one in my head from the beginning, but I was a coward and chose the one I liked best. Why..." She took a deep breath. "How could someone as nice as my brother... who can we trust, if the kinder people can become monsters, just because we couldn't tell them... how we really felt..."

To this question, Tatsuki had no answer, so she just reminded Orihime of the most important thing: "I think the transfer student saved him. He left in peace."

"That's true. The transfer student, and..." She didn't know whether she should say it. Tatsuki obviously did not remember everything, she didn't know about Kurosaki. Could they talk about it? But Tatsuki had to know the truth, didn't she? "And Kurosaki-kun..."

If Tatsuki was surprised, she didn't show the slightest part of it. There had always been rumours about Ichigo seeing ghosts, after all. She had seen enough strange things for the last few days, she was ready to hear anything.

Besides, it mattered a lot less than the sadness lingering in Orihime's smile.

She held her friend in her arms, trying with all her strength to dismiss the dark thoughts. "Your brother is fine, now."

It was a little embarrassing for Tatsuki to comfort Orihime this way. She had grown older, she felt awkward, maybe because she thought of herself as a grown-up, maybe because she was less innocent than she had been. But it worked, it was all that mattered. A few minutes later, Orihime was chatting about the stuffed toys she made at the club, and Tatsuki happily followed this invitation to change the subject.

They talked and played again a lot this night, freely, all the awkward silences of the last days vanished.

When a ghost passed through the room, they both made an unintentional hand gesture, and both of them unconsciously looked up. They understood that it was not the first time. They just did not have the courage to talk to ghosts in public, when people could think they were crazy. They looked at each other, smiling.

"You're a ghost, aren't you?" Orihime asked, as if it was a natural thing.

The apparition nodded. Tatsuki would never have dared to accost a potentially inexistant being, but it was not the same if Orihime started it. "What do you seek?" she asked bravely. She was not afraid of ghosts, of course, only of being ridiculous.

It was probably unusual to look so happy when a ghost solemnly said that he sought to rest in peace.

"We know someone who can help you!"

Tatsuki scribbled a map on a sheet of paper and waved it under the ghost's nose. "So, you go to the clinic here, and you ask for Kurosaki Ichigo."

After his departure, they both had the mental image of how Kurosaki would look like, woken up by a ghost in the middle of the night. They burst out laughing together at the thought.

A barrier between them had broken that night, and despite the monsters and shadows, it was enough of a reason to be happy.

* * *

Most guys at school had quickly learnt that Orihime, despite her gentle manners and her undeniably gorgeous body, was not someone you could hit on shamelessly. No one could hope to take advantage of her nice disposition to put their hands on some private places without getting any protest.

But there were always some especially dumb people.

Tatsuki was in a bad mood that day, and thus could not satisfy herself with just a karate move and a terrifying smile before sending this one to the devil so he would never be seen here again. For good measure, she added a punch that sent him right to the ground.

The other pupils barely raised their head. It was almost a usual thing, after all.

Michiru seemed to be a little frightened.

Ryo promised herself that she would be absolutely silent about that if someone asked her because she was the "reliable one". Even if violence should be banished, it was not a bad thing if everyone understood that you can't be gross and go unpunished.

Mizuiro greeted the fugitive with a discreet "You really don't know how to choose your girls, and you're such a loser that I won't even try to explain."

Keigo congratulated himself mentally: some men actually were more ridiculous than he was. It boosted his ego, bringing a much needed comfort.

Chad, being an adept of non-belligerence, picked up the small objects that had fallen from the delinquent's pockets. It was the best way to prevent Tatsuki from throwing them back, with an aim as precise as it would be painful. There would be still time to return them later.

Orihime was stammering "He did not annoy me _that_ much, Tatsuki-chan. You shouldn't have..."

"Hey!" Tatsuki said in a low voice, "I know you would have beaten him up yourself, but I'm not sure you would have done it until you got horribly embarrassed. And I don't want to see that, ever!"

Orihime blushed, and then said with a timid but amused voice: "You must be right... I really need to buy myself a brain, someday." Then, more seriously: "Thank you very much, Tatsuki-chan." and Tatsuki hoped she wasn't blushing.

The noise caused by the incident had just quieted down, and everyone was back to their activities. Tatsuki decided to go for a walk, when she suddenly felt herself caught by her shirt's collar and pushed in a corner.

She would have started hitting her attacker immediately if she hadn't recognized Chizuru. Of all the people likely to do such things, the lecherous girl was probably the only one able to go unharmed. At least, for the first seconds, before she started talking about sex.

"Why didn't you kiss her?" Chizuru exclaimed, just low enough not to be heard. "You just heroically protected her against a disgusting male, she was grateful and confused, it was a perfect opportunity!"

Considering the nature of the discussion, Tatsuki chose to follow Chizuru on the road of quietness.

"Stop thinking about these things all the time!" she grunted, pushing Chizuru back without looking at her.

"Do you think I'm the only one to talk about it? I know you like her!"

Tatsuki tensed, irritation growing inside her. Chizuru who, contrary to popular belief, wasn't openly suicidal, calmed down. "I'm not saying it's obvious. But an expert lesbian like me knows these things."

It was hard for Tatsuki to acknowledge that Chizuru could be insightful, but she had to admit her friend was right this time.

"And why do you care about it?" she asked, hurt, searching for a way out. "Didn't you like her?"

Chizuru looked strangely serious when she replied "Because with 'hime, I can never go further than the point where I am now... but maybe you can."

Tatsuki was moved.

Maybe she was not currently avoiding an unbidden presence, but having a conversation.

But this doubt quickly disappeared when Chizuru loudly said again "Two girls kissing here, it would be uber-great! So take a little initiative! Jump on her! Better you than any stupid guy!"

Tatsuki felt her heart twitch when she realized this piece of advice was almost the same she gave Orihime about Ichigo. "She likes Kurosaki." she said, telling these sad words for the first time.

"That's exactly what I said!"

"Kurosaki is not just any stupid guy." she said sadly, but confidently. "He's a fine boy. He can make her happy."

"Does anyone care? It has nothing to do with the bond between 'hime and you! She doesn't even know him! The cute Orihime-chan must see him like a fairy tale prince! It doesn't count! Don't give up on her!"

Chizuru was closer to the truth than she could believe, Tatsuki thought. Yes, Ichigo was the prince with a sword, protecting Orihime from monsters... but revealing it was true outside Orihime's fantasy world was probably a bad idea.

"But when I think about it, isn't this Kurosaki guy a friend of yours? You get along well! I have a brilliant idea: if Orihime likes him so much, what about a threesome? Ouch..."

Tatsuki remembered then that it was totally impossible to have a serious talk with Chizuru, and decided to go away rather than to finish embedding her in the wall.

But deep down, Chizuru was not entirely wrong.

Not about the disgusting things she mentioned, of course... but maybe Tatsuki could be the one to protect Orihime in the real world and be happy with it.

Orihime needed that, as much as she needed a monster slayer, didn't she ?

Tatsuki did entrust Ichigo with Orihime's safety, because she couldn't protect her alone, not now.

She was not really giving up on her, she hoped.

* * *

"Sado-kun... what are we going to do?" Orihime asked timidly.

It was too much. She had seen so many monsters - hollows, Urahara-san said- at once, she had seen Tatsuki-chan being hurt; she had discovered she had some kind of power... Tessai-san had assured her that Tatsuki-chan had been brought back home and that her memory had been cleaned.

"Shouldn't you send her to the hospital?" Orihime asked.

Tessai-san had said, very politely "Inoue-dono, you healed her, she doesn't need any more treatment. Your skill is impressive."

If she had such power... Chad, who had just finished thinking, only confirmed what she had already decided.

"I will help Ichigo."

Of course, it was what she wanted. It was too unfair to let him fight such horrors alone... or even with Kuchiki-san and Urahara-san.

"Do you think... we should tell him that we know?" she asked 

Once again, like every time, Chad thought for a long time, before replying. "He will find out. In time." Then, after some more time: "He would only worry about us, if we told him."

It was true, Orihime thought.

"I think I will need some more time to ponder over it." Chad added. "It's really odd."

No, Orihime couldn't say the situation was "odd". It was not so surprising, after all: she had always known that strange things could happen, and that Kurosaki-kun was a hero.

It was not odd, just horrible and dreadful, and it was much worse. All the monsters had been horrible... but the most terrible of all was the one that loomed from the sky. It hadn't attacked or threatened her, but its only existence had filled her with panic, had oppressed her more than any physical attack.

She wanted to talk about it so much, but Sado-kun was so brave that she was not sure he could understand, and probably Kurosaki-kun couldn't either... maybe Tatsuki-chan... would she tell her?

Maybe Tatsuki-chan had some part of her memories left, like the last time? Orihime couldn't help wishing for it, even if she knew it was cruel. If one could forget such a monstrosity, how could she wish for the contrary?

No, she shouldn't involve Tatsuki-chan more than she already was. She could be brave enough to face reality by herself.

She would talk again to Sado-kun if it became too heavy, she promised herself.

But the day after, at the beginning of the lunch break, she couldn't help asking:

"Tatsuki, don't you ever feel like the blue sky is like a very fragile piece of cloth... like it could tear anytime?"

Tatsuki gave her a curious look... not really the look she had when Orihime said something stupid, but she didn't understand either."

"Ha ha, it was a joke! Forget about it, Tatsuki-chan!"

Maybe she would talk about it again, she thought. Maybe Tatsuki-chan would just remember after her, like the first time.

But the day after, when she talked about Kuchiki-san and discovered that Tatsuki-chan had completely forgotten her very existence, she found out that the gap between them was deeper, this time.

She could have told her everything. She knew, she was absolutely sure about it, that Tatsuki-chan would believe her, would support her, and would give her good advice.

But Orihime was not selfish enough to bother Tatsuki and to make her worry with what had become her problem alone. She would only give Tatsuki reasons to be happy, she decided, like Tatsuki-chan had always done for her.

She put her arms around Tatsuki's neck when she started asking questions about Kuchiki-san, and kissed her on the cheeks. "I made it all up! It would be strange and mysterious, a transfer student, don't you think? I like you very much, Tatsuki-chan!"

Tatsuki looked at her with total incomprehension.

Orihime gave her a great smile.

It's my turn to protect you now, she thought again. It doesn't only mean I'll fight for you again if I have to. It means that I'll protect you from the horrors within this world, you won't hear about them, even if it must separate us a little, even if it's sad. But you're my best friend forever.

* * *

Tatsuki didn't understand everything. Well, she understood very little.

But she knew that reality had become a supernatural nightmare, and that she couldn't play a role in it. She could not watch this, she could not fight this, despite all the courage she had.

She understood that Orihime belonged to that world - she had always known she was special, after all.

Seems like a normal person can't fall in love with a princess without having her heart break a little.

Be happy, Orihime, she thought. Above all, don't die.

If one day you come back to our world, if you really come back, body and mind, if you can again be happy or sad about normal things, real things...

Then I'll be by your side, now and forever.


End file.
